Orangutans have larger gestural repertoires in captivity than in the wild—A case of weak innovation?
Marlen Fröhlich, Natasha Bartolotta, Caroline Fryns, Colin Wagner, Laurene Momon, Marvin Jaffrezic, Tatang Mitra Setia, Caroline Schuppli, Maria A. van Noordwijk, Carel P. van Schaik
Abstract
) to assess the effect of the wild-captive contrast on repertoires of gestures and facial expressions. We find that repertoires on both the individual and population levels are larger in captive than in wild settings, regardless of species, age class, or sampling effort. In the more sociable Sumatran species, dominant use of signals toward single outcomes was also higher in captive settings. We thus conclude that orangutans exposed to more sociable and terrestrial conditions evince behavioral plasticity, in that they produce additional innate or innovated signals that are highly functionally specific. These findings suggest a latent capacity for innovativeness in these apes' communicative repertoires.